Letters to the Editor

Update donor information

Written by Michael and Pamela Houchin, Gothenburg
Thursday, 17 December 2009 14:34

To everyone who took the first step to help save someone’s life when you decided to join the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP):

If you or someone you know—family or friend—registered in the NMDP, please take the time to update all information. It is very important to forward any changes that may have come about, such as: have you moved, add new address; had a name change, gotten married, etc.; had a phone number changed; had any changes in health that you may need to remove your name from the registry.

Someone’s life may depend on you taking a few minutes to update all your information. Visit the Web site at: www.BeTheMatch.org/update, or call 1-800-MARROW2 (1-800-627-7692).

The new name of the marrow registry is “Be The Match.” There is information on the Web site, or by calling, about how to join if you know of anyone wanting to be in the registry.

Please, take the time to do this or remind someone you know that has made changes in their lives to contact Be The Match registry.

Found jersey ensured win?

Written by Jim Peterson, Lincoln
Friday, 11 December 2009 21:19

Thank you for recently publishing the records for GHS football. I don’t think I had ever seen those before and I found it very interesting. It brought back a lot of memories. One in particular was Doug Swanson’s record for longest punt return for a touchdown—87 yards. I was a teammate of Doug’s so if you see him around town ask him if he remembers the time he forgot his jersey at an away game in Holdrege.

You see, we had a team rule that stated that if a player forgot any integral part of his uniform (helmet, jersey, shoes) for an away game, he could not play. So as we were each packing our gear into our own duffle bags at our locker room and heading out to the bus, I noticed ol’ no. 20’s jersey lying on our locker room floor. So I picked it up and stuffed into my own bag and thought this could provide for some fun later.

I told a couple of other teammates about this and said to keep it quiet and just keep an eye on Doug as we dressed in Holdrege. So as we were suiting up I watched Doug taking his time unloading his gear out of his bag and pretty soon he was digging a little faster into that duffle bag and finally he had a panic stricken look on his face as his arms were flailing about in that bag. Finally, he just stopped and stared straight ahead and I decided that was enough punishment. So I asked him what was wrong. When he told me I said, “Here, I’ve got an extra one.” And I tossed no. 20 over to him. Remember OJ Simpson’s face the minute the jury acquitted him? The weight of the world had just been lifted off Doug’s shoulders.

Doug was fast and a big part of our offense and I am certainly glad he got to play that night. We beat no. 1 ranked Holdrege 28-24 I believe. I don’t remember if that was the night of the record setting punt return, but if it was, I’ll take all the credit.

It’s great to see the contemporary Swedes doing so well.

Thanks to American farmers

Written by Chandler Mazour, Monsanto Company
Friday, 04 December 2009 14:47

As we enter the holiday season, millions of families across the country will gather around the table and celebrate what they are thankful for as they share a meal together.

As they enjoy a serving of turkey, some vegetables and even a slice of pie, I hope they consider who made that meal possible: the American farmer.

The American farmer is who we can thank today for the safe, abundant and nutritious food supply we enjoy here in the United States and elsewhere in the world. And it will be the American farmer that we will ask to deliver more food, feed, fuel and fiber tomorrow to meet the demands of the projected 9 billion people that will call earth home by 2050.

So as we gather together in the coming days and weeks with friends and family, I hope people across our community take time to thank a farmer for what they provided us today and what we’ll ask them to provide tomorrow.

In fact, if people are interested, they can take some time and log on to www.AmericasFarmers.com to post a message of thanks.

A different Thanksgiving story

Written by Neil A. Davis
Thursday, 03 December 2009 21:24

After doing some research on the origin of Thanksgiving, it’s not clear to me if the event was an actual display of appreciation or a typical harvest festival. Either way, I like how we currently observe the day. There are some important lessons (as in all history), that should have been learned.

Pilgrim leaders Edward Winslow and William Bradford, helped establish the Plymouth colony in the winter of 1620-21. Both men were governors and both kept diaries. Winslow’s account is the one used by most school books. Basically, the first winter was hard and half the colonists died. But, the survivors were hard working and learned new farming techniques from the Indians. The harvest of 1621 was bountiful. They held a celebration, gave thanks to God and lived happily ever-after.

William Bradford’s recollection seems to tell a different story. In the harvest feast of 1621, “all had their hungry bellies filled,” but only briefly. One observer noted that the first “Thanksgiving” was not so much a celebration as it was the last meal of condemned men. Why did he say that?

The Pilgrims were under a contract with sponsors in London that called for everything they produced to go into a common store (collectivism). Each member of the community was entitled to one common share. Rampant laziness ensued when colonists figured out they would still receive their “share,” even though they didn’t contribute. Near-starvation followed. Many relied on the Indians for help and others took to stealing.

To remedy the situation, Bradford assigned each family a parcel of land to use as they saw fit. When faced with personal responsibility, there was an immediate turnaround. They discovered the rewards of effort which gave them the incentive to produce even more. A free market was created where they could trade their surpluses for other goods, thus benefiting the whole community. By 1624, they were able to begin exporting corn. It wasn’t a fairy tale, but no one starved either.

Aristotle who lived from 384-322 BC noted, “That which is common to the greatest number has the least care bestowed upon it.” After 2,300 years of “learning” since Aristotle and countless failed attempts to make socialism work, there are still simpletons who want to “get it right.”

In a 1789 proclamation, George Washington said “Now therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the Twenty-sixth day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks...”

This piece of history will probably fade away too, now that Barack Obama has cited “When President Lincoln set aside the National Day of Thanksgiving for the first time...” I didn’t think it possible to change history. But, Michelle Obama did say her husband is the one to do it.

Taking flag, pole is disrespectful

Written by Jeff and Donna Morris, Gothenburg
Wednesday, 02 December 2009 23:31

As we prepared for our annual Veteran’s Day banquet, we noticed the absence of our new flag and pole. This disturbs my family greatly, that someone would actually walk up on our porch in the afternoon and steal the flag right off of the house.

We try very hard to keep the flags we fly in good repair and to replace them as soon as they get faded. It is lit up at night with a dedicated spotlight as per the United States flag code. Our main reason for flying the flag is not decoration, but respect for the men and women who have served and are currently serving this country.

If you know the whereabouts of our flag and pole, please see that we get it back—no questions asked.

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